gift
by espressivo
Summary: Saitama and Genos celebrate Christmas with some interesting gift exchanges...(one-shot)


Disclaimer: This author does not own One-Punch Man or its associated characters. Please support the official release and merchandise by the creators. No profit was made from this piece.

* * *

 **Gift**

The best things in life are rarely things.

* * *

"There are leftovers in the fridge."

"I will be fine, Genos."

"They need to be heated first."

"Dude, I know how to eat!"

It was 7:30 PM, December 24th and Genos was standing in the hallway of Saitama's meager apartment with a small frown on his face as he struggled to attach two small cufflinks to the sleeves of his tuxedo. Saitama watched metal fingers fumble with the precise action before sighing and holding out his palm.

"Give 'em here."

Genos reluctantly handed him the cufflinks. As Saitama pinned the brass pieces (their design vaguely reminded him of his hero suit belt buckle), he took the opportunity to sneak glances at his partner and his fancy attire. Genos rarely donned anything that wasn't sleeveless, torn, or chucks so it was a rare chance to see him all dressed up. There was no question that Genos was handsome, synthetic skin or not.

 _He's definitely going to turn heads at the party._

The Heroes Association was hosting their annual S-Class Heroes Appreciation Christmas Ball. Genos called it a publicity stunt for HA to get more funding by showing off their greatest assets. Genos also protested (quite vehemently) that he did not wish to attend any event where Saitama had not been invited. Saitama did not particularly care what Genos' decision was, but HA had begged him to persuade Genos otherwise. They had promised generous donors and media stations that all S-Class heroes would be present and would lose quite a bit of money dollars if they fall short one overgrown toaster. Saitama didn't think this was his problem but he said he'd try because it was Christmas season and he was a nice guy. And so, after some jokes about Genos getting rusty, Saitama convinced him to attend.

 _It'll be good for him to hang out with people other than me. Kids need social development after all._

Saitama was fixing Genos' tie as the cyborg continued to lecture him, "Also please don't be impatient and heat the oven to 800 degrees like last time, Sensei."

He tied the knot a bit tighter than necessary but Genos didn't seem to notice. _Damn titanium neck._ "I get it, I get it. Now gooo. You're gonna be late."

Genos nodded, but still shuffled hesitantly by the door. "I'll be going now."

He didn't move an inch.

"Have fun."

More shuffling.

"I will return as soon as I can."

 _If you ever leave that is…_

Saitama wanted to tell him that he didn't have a curfew but figured it would be a lost cause so he shrugged. "All right. I'll be here."

Genos nodded, as if to reassure himself. "Then, please excuse me." He bowed stiffly, turned on his heel, and walked out the door in one smooth motion. Saitama got the feeling the borg was trying very hard to resist the urge to look back. He sighed, shaking his head. _That kid needs to lighten up._

"Now then, I get the whole place to myself. What to do, what to do," Saitama mused as he entered the living room.

He sat on the floor but swore and leapt back to his feet as soon as his ass touched the ground. "Shit that's cold! Guess I'll roll out the futon…"

The bald hero unpacked the bedding and wrapped himself in a blanket cocoon. It kept him warm for a few minutes until he realized he couldn't feel his nose anymore. Or his face.

"This is ridiculous!" He whined, furiously rubbing his arms up and down underneath the covers. "It's freezing all of a sudden!"

It was as if Genos took all the heat with him when he left. _Did he have his heaters on this whole time?_ Ever since the heating and AC companies cut off their services to his apartment, Saitama had been using Genos as a substitute heater/fireplace/hot water bag. If the cyborg were here, he could easily crank up his gears and turn the entire room into a sauna.

But Genos wasn't here.

"A _kotatsu_ would be really nice right now." He muttered. "Maybe if I'm extra careful, I'll save up enough for one next year…"

But shopping for two already put a hit on his dismal paycheck as a B-class hero. And even with Genos paying for their occasional oden nights, Saitama didn't have any funds left to buy anything other than an extra pack of konbu every now and then.

"Maybe in another two years…." He cried quietly as he slowly lost feeling in his toes.

To distract himself from the ice age that had become his apartment, Saitama re-read some of his old mangas. After he got bored with that, he tried solving a word puzzle. After he gave up on the word puzzle (the word was _boobs,_ of all things), he decided to make some tea. As the water bubbled, he warmed his hands against the vapors coming out of the tea pot. It worked but it also made his hand moist. Which made it even colder. Shit.

The hero sighed, feeling oddly bereft. "…It's quiet."

Usually there was always some kind of noise in the background: the clang of dishes being washed, the _whirr_ of motors that dried the plates, quiet clicks of metal against keyboard, the soft _skritch_ of pencil lead against paper. He'd gotten used to the new ambience. Gotten used to Genos being with him.

But Genos wasn't here.

He had the entire apartment to himself. So why did it feel suffocating?

Saitama frowned. "Whatever, I'll just watch some TV."

He clicked around mindlessly for a while; sifting through ads and commercials without paying much attention to the actual content.

" _guaranteed to experience hair growth in two weeks or your—"_

" _live from the Heroes Association in A-City—"_

" _and now we return to 'Anpanman'—"_

Huh?

He clicked back a couple of channels to find a young female reporter standing in front of the Heroes Association building.

They had went all out with the festivities; the giant lobby was adorned with bushels of holly and tinsel and at the center of it all was a Christmas tree nearly as tall as the building Saitama lived in. The camera panned around the room and Saitama could spot several S-Class and A-class heroes whose faces he recognized but their names he forgot.

The news anchor continued to cheerfully describe the events of the gala. " _Tonight is a night of festivities and cheer as we spend this Christmas with the heroes we all love and appreciate! You can see we have quite the impressive spread for the guests…"_

Saitama choked when the camera suddenly showed the huge banquet that had been laid out: there was pudding, pies, sponge cakes, fried chicken, a whole pig (oh my god), kabobs, stuffing, and assorted ethnic delicacies as far as the eye could see.

His stomach whined at the sight. He licked his lips. "Maybe I should have gone with Genos…The food looks great. That lucky bastard." He sighed, morosely gnawing the rim of his empty tea cup. "Fried chicken, huh. What a luxury."

" _And behind me are the S-Class heroes who have devoted their lives to keeping our cities safe and crime free! And I think I just spotted the newest addition to this fine group of saviors. Genos-kun! Genos-kun, a word!"_

Saitama paused and turned up the volume.

The news anchor disappeared offscreen for a moment before reappearing, pulling a handsomely irritated cyborg with her.

" _How are you this evening?"_

" _Fine."_

" _I'm sure we have some fans in the audience who are dying to know your plans this Christmas._ "

" _My plans?"_

" _Yes! Like if you will be spending it with someone special. A lover perhaps?"_

Saitama thought that question seemed kinda personal to be asking on national television but it was a bit funny to watch Genos twitch and discharge a burst of steam that briefly clouded the camera lens. The bald hero chuckled to himself. Heh, he's embarrassed. How cute.

"… _I have someone waiting for me, yes. I am currently living with Saitama-sensei. He is a great hero and an incredible man who deserves to be here with the other heroes and furthermore—"_

The cyborg continued to drone on in one of his tangents. The news reporter didn't seem to mind since she seemed to be more interested in staring at Genos' face than listening to what he was saying.

Saitama heaved a sigh and rested his head on the table, hearing Genos continue to awkwardly answering all sorts of probing questions. He stopped listening to the responses some time ago and instead just focused on the comforting quality of the cyborg's low tenor. If he closed his eyes, it was almost as if Genos were in the room with him, asking him how his day went…what he wanted for dinner…

 _This is…familiar…_

His lids grew heavier as he felt himself drifting off, senses still attuned to the voices coming from the TV…

* * *

"Sensei."

 _This TV has pretty good audio quality._ Saitama groaned as he groggily woke up from a tantalizing dream of toast and eggs.

"Sensei."

"Hm?" Saitama turned to come face to face with a pair of sharp golden eyes.

"AHH!" The hero screamed, scrambling backwards while his heart thumped frantically in his chest.

"Sensei, you'll catch a cold if you sleep like that." Genos scolded, unperturbed by Saitama's outburst. He had changed back to his normal sleeveless attire and was sitting calmly in _seiza_ as if he had never even left.

"O-Oh Genos. It's just you." Saitama panted, still trying to calm his racing heart. "You're back…early." he finished, glancing at the clock. It was only 11:48 PM.

 _The kid didn't even make it to midnight. Maybe he has separation anxiety?_

"Yes. I made the required appearance for an acceptable amount of time. I saw no reason to stay any longer."

"No?" Saitama thought back to the live broadcast as he turned off the TV. "You could have at least stayed for the food. It looked good…"

The cyborg's lips twitched knowingly. "I brought some back with me."

"Seriously?!" Saitama gasped excitedly, bouncing in his seat.

"I thought you might be hungry. Or blew up the oven again." The teen explained as he produced a neatly wrapped bento box filled to five layers full of all the glorious dishes that Saitama had been ogling earlier.

"I'll let that one slide since you brought back so much. Thanks, Genos!" The hero exclaimed as he began busily stuffing his face with fried chicken.

"Not at all, Sensei. Please have as much as you like."

"Whanmf afoumph uou (what about you)?" Saitama asked with his mouth full.

"I am fine. I sampled some at the banquet."

"Really?" Saitama swallowed, reaching for his teacup only to find it empty.

"You didn't look interested in the food." Genos was already in the process of refilling his cup and clearing away the empty plates. "You were watching me?" He asked, surprise flitting across his usually stoic face.

"I'm always watching you."

 _Clank_.

The teapot fumbled in the cyborg's grasp and a couple drops of tea spilled on the counter. Genos hastily wiped them away with a towel as Saitama raised a brow.

"You okay?"

"Y-yes."

Saitama blew on his tea while trying to ignore the way Genos stared at him. The teen seemed to be searching his face for _something_. He was staring intently enough for Saitama to grow self-conscious. He must not have found whatever he was looking for he soon looked away, muttering something about wishful thinking. Saitama watched the teen glance at the clock. It was midnight.

"Good, I made it back in time." Genos said, sounding relieved but also a bit nervous and Saitama growing more and more confused at the cyborg's strange behavior. Before he could say anything, a colorfully wrapped box was shoved in his face.

"Merry Christmas, Sensei."

Saitama blinked once. Twice. Then..

 _ASDKJGSJHKL! I FORGOT YOU EXCHANGE PRESENTS ON CHRISTMAS!_

Saitama was sweating profusely as he shakily took the gift in his hands.

 _Oh shit, I didn't get Genos anything fuck fuck fuck I can't believe I forgot about this stupid tradition. Fuck he's going to think I don't care. What if he cries, oh god the oil's going to stain the floor again—wait are Teachers supposed to give their students presents? Don't they just say no homework for the break or some shit like that? But Genos isn't just my student, he's a nice guy. We're friends, right? Well we're roommates at least and it's common courtesy to exchange presents among roommates…either way, I messed up. Fuck._

"Sensei? You're supposed to open it." Genos reminded as Saitama stewed in his own silent sufferings.

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah. T-Thanks Genos…" Saitama laughed nervously as he slowly peeled the tape off the wrapping paper, taking care not to rip it to save it for future use. _God I hope it's nothing expensive otherwise anything I come up with is just going to be pathetic compared to his present_.

When he set aside the gift wrap, he opened the box to find a smooth, round half-spherical metal object. It had a similar design to Genos' core with a black and blue color scheme and it was roughly the same size as the cyborg's pseudo-heart. But Saitama had no idea what it was.

"Uh…"

Genos seemed to sense his confusion because he took the object and attached the flat side to the underside of the short table they were using. He turned on the appliance with a small beep and Saitama felt a whoosh of heat instantly warming his toes.

"Woah!" the hero grinned.

"It's a heater." Genos explained. "I asked Dr. Kuseno to construct this for me so it won't use up as much power as a regular heater." He then proceeded to take the futon covers and drape it over the edges of the table and over Saitama's legs so it trapped the heat under the table, effectively creating a makeshift _kotatsu._

"Genos, this is amazing!" Saitama beamed, happily burrowing deeper into the nest of warmth.

"I also asked him to design it similar to a kotatsu heater." Genos mentioned with a smile. "I want you to be warm, even if I'm not here."

The hero inexplicably felt like crying. _This is…too much._

"I've always wanted…" Saitama struggled to speak but he couldn't remember what words were."How did you…?"

Genos shrugged. "Sensei is always staring at the kotatsu commercials and sighing. You also circled a lot of different models that were on sale in the catalog."

 _How can anyone be this damn attentive?_

Saitama got the distinct impression he was being spoiled rotten. And it made his heart ache. "Genos. This is…you really didn't have to. Not for me." _I never did anything to deserve this._

"I wanted to," Genos said quietly.

Saitama knew for certain then that anything he could get the cyborg would never match up to the level of sincerity of Genos' gift.

"I didn't get you anything though." He admitted shamefully, twiddling his thumbs underneath the futon covers. "It's been years since I celebrated christmas with anyone…"

The cyborg smiled but it held a hint of sadness. "Sensei has already given me more than I could ever give him in return."

That just made Saitama feel worse. "Still...this feels unfair."

And because Genos couldn't stand to see Saitama sad, he cleared his throat nervously.

"If Sensei wants to give me a gift, I do have one selfish request."

Saitama perked up. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Kiss me."

"…"

"Please." Genos added as an afterthought.

"Uhh….."

"I understand if you don't want to," Genos quickly reassured even as Saitama watch the cyborg visibly deflate at the possibility of rejection.

Saitama felt his face grow hot and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean... I don't really mind...but are you sure you want that as a present? I'm not exactly the world's greatest kisser…"

"I don't have any basis of comparison to confirm or deny that statement, but I'm confident Sensei will excel at this as he does at everything."

Saitama twitched. " _Waitwaitwait_ a minute…Are you saying…I'm your first kiss!?"

"Yes."

"And you're…okay with it being me?"

The cyborg averted his eyes. "I would like it to be you."

"You wouldn't want anything else?" Saitama prodded urgently, if not a bit desperately. It wasn't that he was particularly against kissing Genos, in fact he could empathize with the young teen wanting to experience something that wasn't centered on revenge or hero work or machine upgrades. But Saitama didn't make it a habit to kiss guys and he certainly never thought about actually doing it.

 _But if I was going to kiss any guy, it'd probably be Genos._

He felt more than a little indebted to the cyborg for everything he's done—even if it was on his own accord.

"No." Genos' answer was resolute and Saitama's fate was sealed.

"Of course not," Saitama muttered. "Alright, then."

Taking a deep breath, he crawled out of the futon and moved to kneel in front of the S Class hero. Genos straightened to attention at his approach, hands clenched into fists on his knees and his eyes were expectant. The bald hero steeled himself and slowly leaned closer.

The closer he got to his disciple, the more Saitama's embarrassment faded into the background and the more curiosity and fascination took hold. He's never seen Genos' face in this much detail before—never noticed the smooth bridge of the cyborg's nose…the stubborn set of his jaw…or the individual eyelashes that delicately framed his fierce eyes.

To make sure Genos didn't reflexively turn away (and that he himself didn't back out at the last second), Saitama reached up to gingerly take the cyborg's face in his hands; pausing to marvel at the unusually feverish heat beneath his palms.

"You—Are you…blushing?"

The heat grew to sweltering levels.

"S-Sensei is blushing too." Genos countered almost petulantly.

Saitama blinked in surprise. That would explain why he was feeling so light-headed!

"I'm nervous." The older hero admitted, feeling the flush travel all the way down his neck.

Genos covered Saitama's hand with his own and pressed it firmly against his overheated cheek. His expression remained impassive but Saitama could feel metal fingers tremble slightly. "I'm nervous as well."

Saitama gulped. "But this is what you wanted, r-right?"

The younger man nodded furiously, "Yes! I do want this, I want it very much! I have no doubts. I am just concerned Sensei will suddenly change his mind or come to his senses and realize that I had asked an outrageous request of you. I would never want to make Sensei uncomfortable around me, that is the last thing I want ever, and because of this overstep of boundaries I fear you will no longer allow me to remain your stu—mmph!"

 _Wow, this really shuts him up good, Saitama thought with his eyes closed._

Kissing Genos was unlike anything Saitama could have imagined. The cyborg was heat personified—his lips were so much hotter than any normal human's that Saitama was mildly worried he would get burned. But when Genos started to relax and shyly return the kiss, burns were the last thing on Saitama's mind. Genos may have a sharp tongue but his mouth was achingly _soft_.

 _Like mochi_ , Saitama thought dazedly. Not as sticky but just as sweet.

The bald hero shifted his hand to the teen's intricately wired neck where he gently nudged the cyborg to tilt his head for a better angle. Genos followed his direction seamlessly and eagerly, emitting a small sigh when their mouths slid together more fully. Saitama tried to hold back the best he could; Genos was young and this was his first kiss. He didn't want to overwhelm the boy. But he couldn't resist sneaking a lick to the corner of the cyborg's mouth and enjoying the startled gasp that the action caused.

Genos, true to form, proved to be a quick and studious learner. Before long, he was enthusiastically matching Saitama's pace with vigor, craning his neck as he sought to take in the breathy pants from man he considered to be his teacher, his mentor, his everything. His Core hummed loudly in pleasure when a tentative swipe of his tongue along Saitama's bottom lip managed to draw out a groan from the older man.

Saitama struggled to keep things slow but with the way Genos was pushing against him, the task was proving to be quite a challenge. Saitama felt Genos' free hand latch onto the front of his shirt and urgently tug him closer. He was about to move when Genos gave a particularly harsh yank that caused the hero to lose his balance. Realizing he was about to knock Genos over, Saitama opened his eyes to see the same look of surprised panic reflected in golden irises mere centimeters from his face.

"Mmf—!?"

"Sen-!"

Still managing to somehow keep their lips connected, Saitama wrapped his arms around Genos' head to protect his student from suffering direct damage as they toppled to the ground in a tangle of limbs. But the force of the fall caused their mouths to mash together in a way that unintentionally deepened the kiss.

 _Oh my god._

Saitama's heart stopped.

He didn't dare breathe.

 _Warm….wet…slick heat..._

Genos' tongue was _definitely_ not as sharp as he thought it was.

Both of them gasped as a jolt of electricity ran down their spines but Saitama yelped at the sudden prickling pain in his mouth. He hastily scrambled off Genos and stared incredulously at the smoking cyborg while rubbing his numb mouth.

"W..Whath the fthuck?!" He exclaimed shakily, lips still tingling from aftershocks.

Genos was slowly pushing himself off the ground. Saitama could barely see his face with all the steam he was discharging from his ports but the cyborg sounded stunned. "A-a-as expected of Sensei," the S-Class hero stuttered, "I think y-you shorted out my circuits."

"Did you just shock me!?" Saitama complained, feeling flustered and out of control.

Genos went rigid but his expression was sheepish. "I—! N-Not intentionally! I am very sorry! I didn't mean to—!"

"Ah forget it," Saitama sighed, collapsing to the floor dramatically with a hand over his eyes. He didn't think he could look at Genos properly until the blush had faded entirely from his cheeks.

"Sensei! Please let me—"

"Was it good?" The older man asked hoarsely.

"Sensei?"

Saitama snuck a peek at his disciple who had moved closer and was hovering over him in concern. His gaze dropped to the cyborg's open mouth before quickly looking away, blush deepening.

"I'm sorry, I'm out of practice." He said weakly.

"Sensei has absolutely nothing to apologize for!" Genos defended immediately. Saitama couldn't see his face but he thought Genos sounded almost offended by his apology, as if Saitama hadn't royally screwed up the teen's first kiss. _I guess this kind of thing should be done with someone you like after all…_

He was startled out of his thoughts when a heavy weight dropped onto his chest. He moved his hand to see blond locks obscuring his view. The cyborg had enveloped the hero in a hug and was squeezing tightly enough to break ribs had Saitama been a normal person.

"Genos?"

Genos hugged him tighter. "It was good, very very good! I am extremely grateful for this gift. It was wonderful. Sensei is wonderful, you are—"

"Ah, I get it, I get it." Saitama stopped him before he could begin his usual praise. He didn't think his heart could take anymore.

"Let's do this again next year." Genos murmured. "I really enjoyed kissing you."

The hero turned pink at the compliment.

"We don't really have to wait a year for that." He muttered, embarrassed. "Just don't shock me again."

"I'll do my best not to. Merry Christmas, Sensei." His words were muffled by Saitama's shirt. Then more quietly, "Thank you, Sensei."

Saitama patted the cyborg's back, feeling the younger man's internal heaters warm to a cozy temperature beneath his palm and everywhere else they touched. He smiled affectionately, lightly brushing his lips against the top of Genos' head.

It wasn't quite so cold anymore.

"Merry Christmas, Genos."

* * *

a/n: happy holidays! :)) this was my first kiss scene ever so any feedback/constructive crit is very appreciated! reviews motivate me to write more!


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